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Dwayne McCorkendale
Real Name: Dwayne Allen McCorkendale Nicknames: No Known Nicknames Location: Chandler, Oklahoma Date: November 12, 1988 Case Details: At approximately 8:20PM on November 12, 1988, the body of twenty-eight-year-old truck driver Dwayne McCorkendale was found next to a phone booth at a highway rest stop in Chandler, Oklahoma. Coins were scattered around his body, and he had apparently been shot to death while being robbed. The apparent motive for his murder was tragically ironic, as truckers normally carry small amounts of money to avoid being robbed. Dwayne was a married father of twin girls from Kansas City, Kansas. He had been working as a truck driver for several years. After his murder, police began searching through the last truck route of his life. On November 10, he left Detroit, Michigan, to go on the trip to Oklahoma City. A time-stamped ticket confirmed that on the night of his death, he made no other stops from the turnpike gate to the rest stop. Investigators believe that he pulled into the rest stop to call his wife, as he told several truck drivers this via CB radio. It is assumed that his killers were also listening on the CB radio. As he walked up to the pay phone, the assailant(s) shot him in the back and then afterwards stole money from his body. The killers' take was no more than $25. At the beginning of the investigation, investigators had few leads. They decided to put notices in trucker magazines. They then found out that several truck drivers were being harassed by a brown Ford Pinto equipped with a CB radio. The Pinto's driver would try to cut truck drivers off while on the highway. They would also verbally threaten them via CB. A driver named Ed Heitkamp had a strange encounter with a woman whom he believes was also in the Pinto. The woman asked him if he had any dope or other drugs with him. He responded that he did not. She then told him that she and her friends were lost and needed directions. When Ed turned around to get a map, the woman put the front half of her body inside the truck. She asked for money, but he claimed that he didn't have any. She then left and got into a Pinto that matched the description of the suspect vehicle. The next day, just thirteen miles away, Dwayne was murdered. Investigators have not been able to determine if its occupants were involved in Dwayne's murder, which remains unsolved. Suspects: The three people in the Pinto were described as a white and black male and a white female. It should be noted that the female had confronted Ed for drugs in the area of Dwayne's murder, leading to a possible motive for robbery. There are no sketches available for the car's occupants. It should also be noted that the Pinto had one very distinct feature: a CB radio. None of the occupants have been identified. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the November 21, 1990 episode. Results: Unsolved. Investigators have looked into the possibility that an unidentified woman called Mercedes was involved in Dwayne's murder. She was murdered by her boyfriend, James McAlphin, on July 10, 1991. Prior to her death, she used several false identities; to date, her real name is unknown. Investigators learned that prior to her death, she had mentioned that she was used as a lure to get truck drivers out of their trucks, where a male companion (presumably McAlphin) would then rob the truckers. In one case, he allegedly murdered one of the truckers. It is possible that she was referring to Dwayne. Investigators also noted that she matched the description of the woman seen by Ed Heitkamp and that she and McAlphin matched the general description of the Pinto occupants. However, her identity remains unknown, along with any possible connection she may have to Dwayne's murder. Sadly, Dwayne's father Milford passed away in 2013. Links: * Dwayne McCorkendale on Unsolved.com * Shooting Victim's Body Identified * Reward Being Offered in Slaying of Trucker * 'Unsolved Mysteries' comes to Oklahoma * TV crew re-enacts crime in hopes of uncovering clues * Trucker's mysterious death featured on TV * In some 'cold cases,' OSBI still hot on the trail * We Know Who Killed Her. But 24 Years Later, We Still Don’t Know Her Name. (Article about Mercedes) * OSBI to open new cold case unit *Reddit Post about Mercedes and Dwayne * Dwayne McCorkendale Obituary * Dwayne McCorkendale at Find a Grave ---- Category:Oklahoma Category:1988 Category:Murder Category:Robbery Category:Harassment Category:Road-Related Cases Category:Semi-Related Cases Category:Unsolved